Fairy Tales And Love Stories
by Lani WonderZ
Summary: What are you reading?" Ling demanded once again. "It's embarassing, Young Master." -LingFan Childhood Oneshot-


_"Today was a fairytale. You were the prince."_

-_Fairytale- _Taylor Swift

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait!"

"What is it now?"

"Don't you think it looks a little bit messy?"

"Wouldn't say that…"

"It does. Why don't you clean your room?"

Ling and Ran Fan stared at each other for several seconds. Then the young prince grinned and replied: "I have servants who do such things for me." His companion snorted. "That's no excuse. How will you ever do things on your own if everyone else does the work for you?" She picked up a dirty shirt from the floor and held it out to her friend.

"You should learn to care for yourself."

"Why? It's not like I'm ever going to leave Xing. There will always be someone who serves me." Ling shrugged.

Ran Fan frowned.

"Is that really how you see us, Young Master? Lower beings that don't have anything better to do than to make you feel comfortable?"

"I-I never said 'low'." Ling pulled back holding his hands up in defense. The little girl didn't seem like a big deal but he sparred with her before and he still got a bump on the forehead from that. He watched her walking toward his bed again where she had been reading a book since this morning. He had punished her with a merciless pillow fight for not letting him know what. He silently followed her and tried to sneak a peek from over her shoulder. She noticed it and closed the hardback immediately. Frustrated the black haired boy threw himself on the bed and snuggled down in the blankets. "Why won't you show me?" He complained for the tenth time. Ran Fan had started turning pages again.

"Because it's private. You don't want me to spy on you all the time either, do you? That's the same." She answered matter-of-factly.

"You know, actually you have to do what I tell you. You are my subordinate after all." He smirked. Ran Fan blushed and a hard line appeared around her mouth.

"It's embarrassing, your Highness." She almost snapped. Ling paled. She usually didn't use such respectful titles. He knew her well enough to understand that he had overdone it. Still he was that kind of guy who just couldn't let it be. "I don't care. Show me right now, what you are reading, Ran Fan." He tried to sound as authoritarian as a ten-year-old could manage.

His bodyguard sighed. "Fine. Here you go." She held up the book. Ling eagerly read the headline. Then he stared at her, a startled look on his face. The red on her cheeks deepened.

"I told you it was embarrassing, Young Master." Ran Fan lowered her gaze and pressed her lips together. The prince didn't want to hurt her feelings and suppressed his laughter.

"Is it what I think it is?"

"That depends on what you are thinking, Young Master." Her tone grew more formal with every second that passed by. He could tell that she felt very nervous. He tried to break the awkward silence.

"So… Is it good?"

"Yes it is, Young Master." She replied emotionless.

"I didn't know you like that stuff."

"I never told you."

"It's a romance novel, right?"

"Yes, it is." Ran Fan avoided to look at him and stared at the letters in front of her. Ling waited a few minutes then he demanded: "Tell me about it."

Ran Fan looked at her master, puzzled. "Really?" She asked uncertainly.

"Of course. I want to know what you like, Ran Fan. I think it proves a wonderful soul to read love stories." He nodded determined. The girl's face lit up.

"Well, it's about a concubine that desperately falls in love with her lord. Though he never really seems too interested in her and she almost gives up hope. One day she nearly gets killed during a fire and the lord comes to rescue her. He loved her all along but never showed that before because he was afraid of her reaction." She told him. Ling blinked. Then a smile spread across his face. "It's a good story, Ran Fan."

"Yes." She thoughtfully stroked the page. "But it hurts everyone who reads it." The bodyguard stared at the book in silence and didn't explain her opinion any further. Ling wanted her to talk. She never talked very much but this seemed to be a topic that kept her speaking. "Why do you say that?" he asked.

"Love stories are like fairy tales. They don't come true. It makes you sad to read about perfect happiness while being aware of the fact that you will never... never feel that way. That's why I sometimes hate these stories." She looked at Ling wearing a hopeless expression. It pained him to see her like that.

So he tried the only thing he could come up with to cheer her up. The little prince smiled and said: "You're wrong. Every fairy tale can come true. It's just that fairy tales always contain a bad guy. That's what everyone is afraid of and doesn't even start trying. Love stories come true too. You just have to wait for the one who makes you believe it." Ling grew silent. He was more than surprised by his own words. That were heavy words he used; words an adult would have used. He stared at his servant. She blinked. Then she began to smile.

"Yes. I want to believe that. You're right, Ling."

The children looked at each other. Then Ran Fan embraced him. Not like a servant would have done it. It was a loving, caring embrace. It felt nice. She pulled back at once. Both of them looked at the door that suddenly flew open. Fuu, Ran Fan's grandfather, stood there and bowed.

"Young Master, I apologize for interrupting but my granddaughter has fighting lessons now. I came to get her."

Ling just nodded. A girl had hugged him. Now he felt much more like a man. The girl in question hopped off the bed and ran toward the door. There she turned around and gave her friend a warm smile. "I'll be right back, Young Master."

Ling watched her leaving and couldn't help but laugh.

Yes, she would always be by his side.

Forever.

* * *

**Oh my God! That's freaking old!I just found it again!**

**Uh! Yay for nostalgia! **

**It's not very breath-taking or exploding with genius. **

**Sure, that was one of the first things I've ever wrote for these two! **

**_Disclaimer:... Oh come on, if I owned them they would have their own show and I wouldn't have to write fanfiction, would I?_  
**


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